I see Tony Juniper was ranting on twitter recently saying that heatwaves were nothing to celebrate (and he was scorning the BBC for reporting it as good news) and were a symptom of global warming that was catastrophic for nature. Well if these are the end of times might as well enjoy the moths associated with these heatwaves. Dieter Helm reckons that even during Covid, carbon in the global atmosphere went up by it's usual 2ppm per year and even if we in the UK and Europe go into a carbon totalitarian state and stay locked in within 15 minute cities eating insects, the rest of the world are going to race towards increasing carbon consumption in order to reach western standards of living while population growth will add increased pressure. Dieter Helm reckons that to stop global warming we need a global carbon price and border adjustments (to tax carbon to death) and it seems unlikely in the near future that the UN, G20 or WEF are going to push that through so it looks like global warming is here to stay and we will almost certainly crash through the 1.5 C barrier, burn the Paris Agreement and go way beyond.
So there's not much that can be done to stop it at the moment so it could be good advice to Tony to chill out and get a moth trap because the moth trapping in these heatwaves is great. 270 moth species for the garden year list now. Also dragonflies are doing well in this country and there are plenty of invertebrates that can react quite well to global warming. I know it's small compensation for the devastation in the tropics and for biodiversity that it not rapidly adaptative but might as well take the silver lining and enjoy it especially when we are lock-downed eating blinking grasshoppers. Some of those moths might even taste better than the totalitarian rations?
I've been having fun recently getting Artificial Intelligence to rewrite my blog posts- see this one re-written in the comment section by ChatGPT.
Lappet- even looks a bit like the global grim reaper!
Plain Conch- if I've identified this correctly then its a lifer. 250623 update- yep confirmed by CMR team (thanks Dave).
Knapweed Conch
Bulrush Cosmet
Grey Poplar Bell, Epinotia nisella is the best I can do on this. 250623 update- not this species as too early for a start and probably Epinotia abbreviana (thanks Dave).
Footmans are now appearing- here's a Scarce, also Common and Rosy and Orange have been around for a while
Another photo of this stunning creature
2 comments:
Recently, Tony Juniper expressed his concerns on Twitter about heatwaves, stating that they should not be celebrated and criticizing the BBC for portraying them as positive news. He believes that these heatwaves are a clear indication of the catastrophic effects of global warming on nature. While we may be facing challenging times, it's worth finding enjoyment in the unexpected sightings of moths during these heatwaves.
Dieter Helm suggests that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, global atmospheric carbon levels increased by the usual annual rate of 2ppm. Despite the possibility of the UK and Europe adopting strict carbon reduction measures, such as living in tightly connected cities and incorporating insect-based diets, other parts of the world are likely to continue increasing their carbon emissions in order to attain Western standards of living. Additionally, population growth will exert further pressure on the environment. Helm proposes a global carbon price and border adjustments to effectively combat global warming, but it seems unlikely that international bodies like the UN, G20, or WEF will swiftly implement such measures. Consequently, it appears that global warming will persist, pushing us beyond the 1.5°C threshold and undermining the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.
Given the current limitations in addressing global warming, it might be advisable for Tony to find solace and enjoyment in activities such as moth trapping. The abundance of moth species observed during these heatwaves is truly remarkable, contributing to a rich garden year list with over 270 species. Moreover, dragonflies are thriving in this country, and certain invertebrates have demonstrated a relatively positive response to global warming. While these observations may serve as a small consolation amidst the devastating impact on tropical regions and non-adaptive biodiversity, it's essential to embrace any silver linings and appreciate them. Especially during periods of lockdown, when unconventional food sources like grasshoppers become a necessity, who knows, some of these moths might even offer a more enjoyable culinary experience than the limited rations we have available.
Here's a version from Google's Bard:
**Tony Juniper recently ranted on Twitter that heatwaves are nothing to celebrate, and that they are a symptom of global warming that is catastrophic for nature. However, if these are the end times, we might as well enjoy the moths associated with these heatwaves. Dieter Helm estimates that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, carbon in the global atmosphere continued to rise by 2 parts per million (ppm) per year. Even if the UK and Europe go into a carbon totalitarian state and stay locked in within 15-minute cities eating insects, the rest of the world will race towards increasing carbon consumption in order to reach Western standards of living. Population growth will also add to the pressure. Helm believes that a global carbon price and border adjustments (to tax carbon to death) are needed to stop global warming. However, it seems unlikely that the UN, G20, or WEF will push this through in the near future. As a result, it looks like global warming is here to stay, and we will almost certainly crash through the 1.5°C barrier, burn the Paris Agreement, and go way beyond.
At the moment, there is not much that can be done to stop global warming. So, Tony Juniper should chill out and get a moth trap. Moth trapping is great in heatwaves, and there are now 270 moth species on the garden year list. Dragonflies are also doing well in the UK, and there are many invertebrates that can adapt well to global warming. While this is small compensation for the devastation in the tropics and for biodiversity that is not rapidly adaptive, we might as well take the silver lining and enjoy it. Especially when we are locked down and eating blinking grasshoppers. Some of those moths might even taste better than the totalitarian rations!**
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